Score a 5 with these AP Japanese Language & Culture Books in 2018

Exam Info And Course Content

The Japanese exam consists of 2 sections. The first one multiple choice section has around 70 questions, lasts 90 minutes, and makes up 50% of your total exam score. The first 30-35 questions are listening, and the next 35-40 questions are based on reading.

The second section is free response. It consists of 4 tasks and lasts 45 minutes. You have to write 6 lines for a text chat, compare and contrast an article in writing, speak about differences between the Japanese and other cultures, and participate in a simulated conversation.

College Board provides free example test questions, so click here if you want to check them out.

Next Exam Date

Wednesday, May 9th 2018

Last Time The Exam Changed

The exam was slightly changed in 2011, but there are no plans to change it in the future.

The Best AP Japanese Language & Culture Books in 2018

While the following book made our list, we must honestly say that it is simply the best of weak pool of textbooks. The Strive for a 5 Japanese Language & Culture practice question book is the only reasonable book available to prepare for the AP exam. If you must purchase a book, it should be this one, but we say with caution: you will need to supplement your review schedule with online materials. We recommend the following material, in addition to this book.

Self-Study Tips

There are no good AP Japanese book out there, so if you’re already a fluent speaker or you’re taking a class you can look through the old AP questions to get used to the format of the exam.

If you don’t know Japanese yet, but you want to learn it and take the AP exam, you will need to spend at least 3 years to get to a level where you can get a 5 on the AP exam.

We recommend buying this course as nothing can beat the amount of content in it for the price. By the end of it you should be a near-fluent or fluent speaker, and you’ll be almost ready to tackle the AP head on.

You can also use this website if you don’t want to spend money, or use this book from Amazon to start learning Japanese.

We recommend trying to visit Japanese websites and listening to Japenese TV shows, reading Manga, or listening to Japanese music daily.